You bought an electric car advertised with 250 miles of range. You're getting 150. Is this a fault? Can you reject? The answer depends on several factors – here's how to work it out.
Understanding Advertised Range
The official range figure you see advertised is the WLTP range (Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure). This is tested in laboratory conditions at moderate temperatures, with minimal use of heating or air conditioning, at moderate speeds, and with a new battery. It's a standardised test designed for comparison between models – not a real-world promise of what you'll achieve on the road.
In actual driving, you'll typically achieve 70-85% of the WLTP figure in normal conditions, 50-60% in cold weather with the heating on, and 60-70% at consistent motorway speeds. A car advertised at 250 miles WLTP getting 175-210 miles in normal conditions is performing as expected – that gap is normal, not a fault.
When Reduced Range IS a Fault
Significantly below expectations is the clearest indicator. If your real-world range is consistently 40-50% of WLTP, range drops in all conditions (not just cold weather or motorway driving), and you're getting much worse figures than other owners of the same car report, this suggests a problem beyond normal variation – likely a degraded or defective battery.
Abnormal battery degradation is a fault in itself. All EV batteries degrade over time, with 2-3% capacity loss per year and 80%+ remaining after 8 years being typical. What's not normal is significant loss on a relatively new car, capacity below 70% on a car that should be at 90%+, or rapid degradation after purchase. Get the State of Health (SoH) checked – this shows actual capacity versus original and can be read by dealers or specialist diagnostic tools. If a 2-year-old car shows 75% SoH when it should be 95%+, that's a fault.
Specific dealer claims matter too. If the dealer told you "this car will do 200 miles on a charge," the previous owner was "getting 230 miles regularly," or range figures were stated in the advert, and the car doesn't achieve anything close, that may constitute misrepresentation – the car wasn't as described.
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When Reduced Range Probably ISN'T a Fault
Getting 75-85% of WLTP range in normal conditions isn't a fault – it's how EVs work. You can't reject a car simply because you expected the WLTP figure to be achievable in daily driving.
Cold weather causes significant range drops. Getting 50-60% of WLTP in winter isn't unusual – battery chemistry is less efficient in the cold, and running the heater draws directly from the same battery that powers the motor. Driving style matters too: aggressive driving, sustained high speeds, and heavy use of air conditioning all reduce range substantially. And normal age-related degradation is expected – a 5-year-old EV with 90% of its original range is performing perfectly normally.
The Evidence You Need
Get an official SoH reading from a main dealer, an EV specialist garage, or – for some models like Tesla – apps such as ABRP. Compare the reading to the expected SoH for the car's age and mileage. This is the single most important piece of evidence.
Keep range logs over multiple trips, recording your starting charge percentage, ending percentage, miles driven, and conditions (weather, speed, heating use). Consistency across multiple trips rules out one-off factors and builds a clear picture. Check what other owners achieve on forums and owner groups – if you're getting significantly less than others with the same car, that supports your claim and rules out user error.
Get the manufacturer's specifications for battery capacity and expected degradation curve. If your car is performing well outside normal parameters for its age, that's strong evidence of a fault. An independent EV inspection can tie all of this together in a formal report.
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Your Legal Rights
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, you have three potential grounds. If specific range was claimed by the dealer and isn't achieved, the car may not be as described (Section 11) – that's misrepresentation. If the battery health is significantly below reasonable expectations for the car's age, the car isn't of satisfactory quality (Section 9). And if the range is so poor that the car isn't practical for its intended use – you can't make your daily commute on a full charge, for instance – it's not fit for purpose (Section 10).
Building Your Case
Start by establishing your actual range – drive normally for a few weeks, log every trip, and calculate your average real-world range across different conditions. Then compare this to reasonable expectations: WLTP range multiplied by 0.75-0.85 in good conditions, less in winter, and accounting for your driving style. If your range is significantly below even these adjusted figures, you have grounds for a claim.
Get the battery health checked with an official SoH reading and assess whether it's normal for the car's age or significantly degraded. Check what was advertised – save the dealer's advert, any emails, and any written promises about range. Then decide your claim: if the battery is degraded beyond normal parameters, it's a satisfactory quality claim; if the dealer made specific range promises that aren't met, it's misrepresentation; and if the range is so poor the car isn't practical for daily use, it's a fitness for purpose claim. You may have grounds on more than one basis.
Sample Letter
To: [Dealer]
Re: Battery/Range Fault – [Registration]
Dear Sir/Madam,
On [date], I purchased the above electric vehicle from you for £[price]. The vehicle was [advertised with X miles range / claimed to achieve Y miles / sold as having excellent battery health].
The vehicle is not achieving anything close to the expected range:
- WLTP range: [X] miles
- Expected real-world range (80%): [Y] miles
- Actual range achieved: [Z] miles
I have had the battery State of Health checked at [garage/dealer]. The reading shows [X]% capacity. For a vehicle of this age ([X] years), the expected capacity would be approximately [Y]%. This indicates significant abnormal degradation.
[If specific claims were made:] Furthermore, the vehicle was specifically described as [quote the range claim]. This has proven to be inaccurate.
This vehicle is not of satisfactory quality under Section 9 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015. The battery has degraded well beyond normal parameters for a vehicle of this age.
[If misrepresentation:] Additionally, the range claims made constitute misrepresentation under Section 11.
I am rejecting this vehicle and require a full refund of £[amount] within 14 days.
Yours faithfully, [Your name]
The Bottom Line
WLTP range is a laboratory figure, not a real-world promise – getting 70-85% of it in normal conditions is expected, and you can't reject a car for that gap alone. But if your range is dramatically below even those adjusted expectations, the battery SoH shows abnormal degradation for the car's age, or the dealer made specific range claims that aren't being met, you have legitimate grounds for rejection. Battery state of health is the key evidence – get it officially checked, keep detailed range logs, and don't accept dealer excuses about driving style when the real issue is a degraded battery pack.
Getting far less range than expected from your EV? Check if you qualify for our rejection service – we'll assess whether you have a valid claim.
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